Alliances
by SacrificialLamb
Summary: A year after the Vulturi's visit, Bella thinks everything is perfect. However, a vision from Alice puts her life in danger yet again. Edward and Bella now have to persuade the only two who can help them to join forces against the impending danger.
1. Others

I was fully aware that I was awake, as I never slept anymore, but I still couldn't help feeling like I was dreaming. I looked down at my darling daughter, Renesmee, nestled in my lap, her breathing coming and going heavily with her sleep.

A warm smile stretched across my face and I sighed happily.

Edward tightened his grip around my waist in response and pressed his lips to my neck. "Something on your mind love?" He breathed against my skin.

I turned my head towards him and kissed him lightly. "Just wondering how I could have gotten so lucky."

He smiled and then looked down at Renesmee. "I think," he began slowly; "it is I who is the lucky one."

I scowled at him playfully. Of course he would argue.

"Okay!" He surrendered, holding up his hands quickly in defeat before wrapping them back around me. "You win. We are both equally lucky."

I smiled triumphantly and then looked at Renesmee again.

"We should probably put her to bed," I mused.

Edward nodded and stood up, pulling me up with him. I readjusted my grip on Renesmee and walked with Edward to the back door.

As soon as she was safely in her bed, Edward and I ran back to the house, not quite ready to call it a night.

Alice smiled at us from around one of her many computer screens. I smiled back at her and looked around the giant room. Emmett and Jasper were in a heated game of chess on the dining room table. Rosalie was watching a documentary on different kinds of cars and sighing longingly as each new car sped across the screen. Carlisle and Esme were seated on one of the white sofas near Rosalie, talking quietly to each other. Everyone was at complete ease, it made my smile widen even more.

It was hard to believe that just a few short months ago, the atmosphere in this house was much more stressful. Since the Volturi had left us in peace, everything had gone back to normal, at least as normal as a house full of vampires and the occasional werewolf could be.

My eyes finally cooled to a soft, almost buttery, golden yellow the month after the Volturi had left. I was relieved to no longer be the terrifying looking one in the house, and I also hated those contacts.

Edward picked up on my good mood and squeezed my hand.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" He asked, holding back a chuckle.

I shrugged, "Good to be alive, I suppose."

He started laughing, and I couldn't help but join him. He continued laughing as he pulled me along to his piano and seated me next to him on the stool. Esme's favorite song filled the room and I sighed at the beauty of it.

"You know, you should really teach me how to play piano some day, I'd really like to learn," I nudged his side playfully and leaned my head against his shoulder.

He looked down at me skeptically, the music never faltering one bit.

"_You_ want to learn how to play piano? Who are you and what have you done with my Bella?" He teased lightly.

The months went on in about the same way. Renesmee grew more and more each month, but it no longer frightened me as it had before. Edward and I attended night classes at Dartmouth for a couple semesters, and I found that I really did enjoy it. College wasn't so hard when you had a tutor like Edward. It wasn't until a year later, back at the Cullen's house for the summer break, that Edward and I talked of that night we all almost died again.

Edward and I sat on the couch, holding hands. Everyone had left for a hunting trip except for Alice, Edward, Renesmee, and I. The television was turned on to some pointless sitcom that no one was watching, but it provided good background noise. Renesmee sat on the floor with Jacob, playing with a new toy wolf he had made for her. As I watched them, an odd question formed in my head. I turned to Edward, and he looked at me curiously.

"Is something troubling you Bella?" His eyes were wide with curiosity and he tilted his head to the side.

I shook my head. "Not troubling me… I just wanted to talk to you about… that night with the Volturi…" My voice gradually tapered off into a barely audible whisper.

He stiffened slightly and squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"What did you want to talk about?" He looked a bit wary, like he didn't want to have to remember it.

"Oh it's nothing bad, really. I was just curious about the other vampires who came to help us."

Edward relaxed and smiled at me. "What did you want to know about them?"

I frowned. "Well… actually I was curious about if you know of any other vampires out there with special gifts that would have been helpful who didn't come to our aid. Like maybe Carlisle never thought to go find them, or didn't know them, but you did."

I saw Jacob look up at my words out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him, focusing on Edward's face.

His reaction wasn't really what I was expecting. His expression went from mildly curious to angry then to hurt and finally settling into a mask that I easily recognized. He didn't want to answer me, obviously. Well I wasn't going to have that.

I looked at him patiently, waiting for him to answer.

He sighed loudly and looked away. "Well…" he paused and then continued again quickly. "I know of two particular individuals who would have been of great help… if we could have found them." He growled softly and I couldn't imagine why.

"Why couldn't you find them?" I couldn't imagine anyone Edward or Alice couldn't find.

"Their gifts are… very strong. As I said, there are two of them; one female and one male. From what I have heard from other vampires, who have encountered them, their names are Stephanie and Connor Reid; they're married." He stared at the television, not really seeming to watch the people moving on the screen.

I glared at him, angry at his reluctance to tell me things.

"So what are their powers?" I pressed.

He looked back at me and smiled. "You are so impatient. I was going to get to that in a second." He ruffled my hair playfully. "Anyway, Connor's gift is that he is an incredible good tracker. He's ten times as good as Demetri. In a way, he does what Demetri does, he can track anyone anywhere after hearing the tenor of their minds, but as Demetri needs close proximity, Connor can hear it from anywhere. His tracking gift is also different, because once he has heard the tenor of the mind, he knows everything about that person from their name down to their favorite food to eat. He is able to keep himself and Stephanie away from any impending danger because of this gift as well.

"Stephanie's gift, however, is a lot like your own, I suppose. Only, I'm sorry to say, but she is much stronger than you." He grinned at me and then went on quickly. "She is probably the strongest shield I have ever heard of. Not only can she shield herself and other mentally, but also physically. She can also stretch her shield to immeasurable lengths. I suppose she could shield the entire earth if she so chose. However, there is another part to her shield that is not so protecting. She can push her shield out to surround someone, but instead of protecting them from danger, it violently kills them. I'm not quite sure _how_ it kills people, but from what I've heard, it's strong enough to kill another vampire, so I guess it should speak for itself. She can kill people while also protecting people at the same time without breaking a sweat, so to speak."

I shuddered. This Stephanie sounded like a force to be reckoned with. I hoped silently to myself that I never had to come across her on a bad day. I couldn't help the next question that bubbled to my lips, however.

"So why haven't the Volturi tried to get them to join them if they are so much better than everyone they already have?" This didn't seem like Aro at all. I shuddered again as his thin skinned face showed behind my eyes. I shook my head to be clear of it.

"I told you, Bella, they are very hard to get to. They can usually only be found if they want to be found and if Stephanie happens to have her shield down at any given time." He looked at me without smiling. "Are you afraid? Don't be scared. They have no reason to harm us." He took my face in his hands and stared into my eyes.

I stared back helplessly and nodded slowly. "I know that, but it's still frightening to know that maybe the Volturi are keeping a lookout for them. For the day she does let her shield down so they can find them and convince them to join Aro's little collection." I said his name bitterly and my eyes narrowed a bit.

"I understand why you feel that way. It would be very bad if the Volturi got to them. It's a good thing Stephanie seems to be very cautious." He laughed lightly to try and calm me down.

I did feel a bit calmer and I leaned my head against Edward's chest, feeling silly about my worries.

I started to push away all thoughts of Stephanie and Connor, when Alice gasped. I jumped, forgetting that she was still here and then I tensed as Edward froze at my side.

"Edward?" I looked up at him and was shocked to see a mixture of shock and rage on his face.

I looked quickly over to Alice and saw her staring off blankly. She was obviously having a vision, but what could be so terrible as to make Edward react in such a way?

Edward ground his teeth together loudly. "It seems the day that Stephanie lets her shield down is sooner than I would have thought."


	2. Vision

I looked back and forth between Alice's blank stare and Edward's murderous one.

"Alice?" My voice was small. "What do you see?"

"ALICE!"

I jumped as Jasper ran across the room, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme following quickly behind him. Jasper gripped Alice tightly and shook her once. I looked away, being reminded vaguely of when Jasper acted this way when Alice had seen James go to the ballet studio. The memory was too fuzzy to really remember, but this seemed a lot like how it must have been. Carlisle and Esme went quickly to Alice and Jasper's side. Carlisle looked tense, Esme looked very worried. I bit my lip nervously and looked back at Edward. His expression was still full of rage, but a flicker of worry flashed across his face now. I touched his cheek and stared at him.

"Edward… what is going on? What did Alice see?"

Edward looked quickly down at me then back up at Alice. "Let her tell you." He growled through his teeth.

I sighed and looked back over to Alice. She was still staring blankly, her mouth in a little 'O' of horror.

"Alice? What do you see Alice?" I tried to stay calm. Jasper looked at me skeptically; of course I didn't fool him.

Alice finally shook her head and looked around her. Jasper pulled her against his chest and murmured softly into her ear.

"I saw… Stephanie and Connor…" She began slowly, as though she was unsure of herself. "But then it switched to the Volturi. They're waiting for an opening in Stephanie's gift, as Bella said, and Stephanie seems to have let her guard down for a second, but I'm not sure why… she keeps disappearing and reappearing, same with Connor. The Volturi are going to visit them. The whole guard again, the wives too like when they came to us. Only they want to have Stephanie and Connor join them. They will say yes. The Volturi then plans to come back here and take care of us… they're still undecided on the reason, but they're thinking of framing us for something." Her face scrunched up in frustration. "We won't survive Stephanie and Connor's gifts." She looked at each of us sadly.

I stared outraged at Alice. How could the Volturi do this? What have we done?

"This is just crazy!" Emmett thundered.

Carlisle nodded. "Alice, should we call back on all those who helped us a year ago to fight? Is there a chance?"

Alice was shaking her head. "We can try, but I'm not sure how strong Stephanie is. It may be a waste and just more dead bodies."

"Well we have to try!" I shouted, looking frantically at all of my family.

"We will help, Bella." I had almost forgotten Jacob was there.

I felt even more panicked at the thought of Jacob fighting the Volturi. Then I remembered the birth certificates and other legal papers I still had for Jacob and Renesmee.

"No, Jake. You have to take care of Nessie if something does happen."

He frowned and looked down at Renesmee. "I will fight to keep her safe. Don't worry about me Bella; just come up with a plan. I'm going to go tell the others what's going down." He kissed Renesmee on her cheek, and then trudged quickly out the front door.

I scowled after him, but let it go. He was right. There were more pressing matters at hand. Carlisle and Jasper were getting things together and talking quickly. Esme was putting the metal covers down over the windows, just as a precaution I guessed since we were not in immediate danger right then. I looked at Edward and sighed. He was still frozen with an angry look.

"Edward… what should we do?" I whispered.

"We have to find them." He hissed.

Everyone looked at him. I tilted my head.

"We have to find them?"

He nodded. "We have to get to Stephanie and Connor before the Volturi does. Alice said that Stephanie would falter in her shield; we just have to go to them before that happens and convince them to come with us. Alice, could this work?" He looked to Alice with a fierce look in his eyes.

Alice closed her eyes for a moment then they flicked open and she smiled. "I don't see any problems with you getting to them before the Volturi does." She seemed confident.

"Then it's settled. Bella and I will go to find them."

"Edward, you can't go alone!" Emmett began, standing up from the couch where he was seated with Rosalie.

Edward held up a hand to silence him. "We don't want them to think we're attacking them. There are two of them, so there will be two of us. I'll hopefully be able to read their minds and get a feel on how they are once I convince Stephanie to take off her shield, that is. This will be tricky enough with just the two of us."

Emmett huffed and growled to himself as he sat back down. I watched him sulk as Edward stood up, pulling me with him.

Carlisle came over to us and put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "You must be careful, son."

Edward nodded sharply, looking determined. Carlisle turned to me and gave me a warm smile and then put his hand on my shoulder.

"You be careful too, Bella."

I nodded quickly and frowned. We had to go now? I suppose the sooner the better. Esme brought Edward and I both into tight hugs and looked as though she'd be crying if she could. I wanted to cry, too.

"Alice, how much time do we have?" Edward took my hand and looked back at Alice.

"The Volturi will notice her shield break in a couple days. I can't tell what day exactly, but I know it's very soon."

Edward sighed, but accepted the vague timetable. He then looked down at me and smiled my favorite crooked smile.

I smiled back weakly and then picked up Renesmee. She put her small hand to my cheek and looked worried.

"Don't worry sweetie, mommy and daddy will be back soon, hopefully with a new friend for you to meet." I tried to look enthusiastic and calm, but I didn't fool her quick eyes.

"You better come home soon." She glared at both Edward and I.

Edward chuckled lightly and brushed her forehead with his lips. "Soon."

I kissed Renesmee on her cheek and then handed her over to Rosalie. "Take care of her while we're gone." Rosalie smiled and nodded.

I then turned to Edward and took his hand in mine. "Let's go find us some gifted vampires."

"Life is never boring with you around." Edward laughed, bending down to kiss me swiftly and then we were flying out the front door and into the forest.


	3. Anger

We ran for several miles, still holding hands and never stopping until a giant russet wolf came into view.

"Jacob!" I hissed as I came to a complete halt. Edward hadn't been expecting me to stop so suddenly and had to jog back to where I was.

"Bella? What is it?" Edward scanned the forest and then he nodded. "Jacob wants to know what the plan is."

I turned to Edward as Jacob walked out from behind the trees, still in wolf form. "What _is_ the plan, Edward? We can't just run up into their territory and expect them to listen to us."

"I know that, but there isn't much we can do. I'm not really sure that they have a territory anyway. They're probably just nomads. We'll just have to be cautious and make sure they see that we mean no harm." His head snapped up at Jacob and he frowned. "No Jacob."

I blinked. "What does Jacob want to do?"

"He wants to come with us, to give us back up. Jacob, look, these are strange and very powerful vampires, the situation is delicate. We don't know how they'd react to seeing a giant wolf walking with us. They might see us as untrustworthy and not help us out."

Jacob growled low, but looked down and kicked up some dirt with his giant paw. I guessed that logic was working on him and he'd given up the argument.

"Jake, you need to help look after the house. What if this is a diversion? The Volturi want us to think they're going after Stephanie and Connor to get the two most gifted vampires from the house so they can attack it?" My voice started to hitch up an octave as this thought started to seem like something the Volturi might do.

"Bella, don't worry. I don't believe that is what they're doing." He smiled reassuringly, but his eyes were tight. He obviously hadn't thought of that as an option.

I sighed. "Jake, just go back so we can get this over and done with."

Jacob looked up at us and bobbed his large head into what must have been a nod and then sprinted off into the trees again. I watched him go and composed my face.

"Edward, we need a game plan here. Do you think you'll be able to read their minds? Could she maybe be letting her mind shield down while keeping the physical one up? We can't go in there blind."

"Sadly, I think we're going to have to go in blind. Just don't make any sudden movements when we're near them. We're very close to where they are right now. Can you smell them?"

I grimaced and then sniffed the air quickly. There were a million different scents around me; pine from the trees, the wet musty smell of the dirt, the burning bitter smell that Jacob left behind, when the sweet smell of a hiker's blood caught my attention I held my breath. The burning in my throat ached and throbbed uncomfortably.

"Ugh… there's a hiker nearby. I didn't have time to get their scent."

"Oh, here, stand over there and sniff, it's downwind from the human so you should be fine." He pointed to a spot about one hundred yards from where we were. We ran quickly to the spot and I sniffed again apprehensively.

"Ah… much better." The ache was still there, but I ignored it, tasting the air again. This time I caught scents mixed in with the other forest smells that did not fit. Lilac, apples, vanilla, roses… it didn't make sense. They were all such different things, but they all seemed to be coming from the _same_ source. It must have been Stephanie and Connor's scent. "They smell… very nice."

Edward laughed. "Let's hope their attitudes match how sweet they smell."

We started running again and the scent got stronger until it was surrounding me. They couldn't just be nomads if their scent was so heavily concentrated in this area. Edward seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"I don't understand how they can manage to hold up a permanent location. I mean it's easy for us because we don't hunt humans, but they'd have to move a lot so as not to be noticed." He was talking to himself mostly. He started to slow down then to a fast paced walk. I slowed with him and looked up at his face. It was scrunched into a grimace and my eyes widened in alarm. "They know we're here. They're waiting for us up this hill. I can't read their minds."

I took a deep breath, not feeling any relaxation from the air in my useless lungs. I checked my shield and made sure it had no holes around either of us. Edward's grip on my hand tightened.

"Here we go." He whispered.

We leapt lightly to the top of the hill and I gasped at the two creatures standing in front of us. I should have been used to the beauty of vampires, being one now myself for over a year, but it still always took me by surprise. Stephanie and Connor were, if possible, the most beautiful vampires I had ever seen, even more so than Rosalie. They stood perfectly still, Stephanie angling herself defensively in front of Connor. I stared at Stephanie, awestruck. She was petite, about 5'2, but with an attractive curve to her body. Her hair was cropped short into a bob, slowly angling up the back of her head. The hair itself was the same strange red-brown color as Edwards and it shined unnaturally in the dim light. Her skin had a kind of radiance to it despite it being as pale as freshly fallen snow. Connor, now completely behind Stephanie, had messy dark brown hair with lighter brown streaks mixed in, bleached from the sun. His skin was slightly olive toned. He was not much taller than Stephanie, about 5'7. I looked down at their clothes and almost smiled. Their clothing hinted at expensive designers that Alice would be drooling over. I looked back to their faces and started. I had not noticed it before, too stunned by their beauty, but their eyes were black with thirst, and around the black was a thin ring of gold. They were vegetarians as well.

Edward positioned himself in front of me absentmindedly and we walked with exaggerated slowness towards the unfamiliar and painfully beautiful vampires. I peeked out from behind Edward at Stephanie's face again, and gasped. She was full out glaring at Edward. Her stare was murderous and it made me feel small and childlike. A snarl rippled through her as we got closer. Edward stopped walking, his hands up palms in front to show we meant no harm. Stephanie continued to growl and Connor put his hand on her shoulder as if to calm her down; she shrugged him off and took a step forward.

"Who are you?" She all but screamed at us. I flinched back at her tone. Despite her anger, her voice sounded more like singing than talking. It was just as beautiful as her face. She glared at us fiercely, seeming to get angrier at our silence.

I stepped slowly out from behind Edward and glanced up at Stephanie. Her bitter eyes never left Edward. "Um… I'm Bella and this is—"

"I didn't mean you." She snapped, finally taking her eyes off Edward and putting the full force of her glare on me. I cringed back behind Edward and tried not to shudder. What had we done to deserve such aggression? Yes, we had encroached on their territory, but we meant them no harm and they could plainly see that. They seemed fine until Stephanie got a good look at Edward. That's when she turned hostile. I gasped. Did she know Edward? Did she possibly hold him responsible for something in the past? I peered out at Stephanie again and she was glaring at Edward again, still waiting for his answer. Why didn't Edward answer her?

"I won't ask again. Who are you? Tell me. Out loud." Her words dripped with acid and she took another step forward. We were now only 20 feet apart from each other. I was confused why she added the 'out loud' part.

"My name is Edward Cullen." Edward said slowly.

Her nostrils flared. "Your real last name. Your _human_ one." How could she possibly know Cullen was not his real last name? Did all vampires take on a new last name or something? That seemed semi-likely.

Edward seemed just as confused. "Mason."

Stephanie lost it then. She screamed and closed the remaining space to get up in Edward's face. Despite her size, she was very intimidating.

"IS THIS A JOKE!? DO YOU KNOW THIS NAME AND USE IT TO TAUNT ME? HAVE YOU MADE UP YOURSELF TO LOOK JUST LIKE HIM!?" I was taken aback as her anger flowed freely. I stepped back from Edward and Stephanie. Had she mistaken Edward for someone she knew?

Edward stood perfectly still, letting her get it out of her system.

"DO YOU PLAN ON EVER TALKING _EDWARD_—"she sneered his name, "OR DO I HAVE TO FORCE WORDS OUT OF YOU!? YOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT ME DON'T YOU. OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT A SHIELD WITH YOU TO PROTECT YOURSELF!"

I flinched away. She thought I was just here to protect him. Well I _was_ protecting him, but that's not the sole reason I was here. Anger flared inside me at her irrational behavior. How dare she make assumptions and start yelling at Edward when he was obviously not here for a fight. I started to make my way back up to where Stephanie was still screaming at Edward, it was mostly just a string of profanities now, when a hand touched my shoulder. I jumped and turned around. Connor was standing very close to me, his eyes wary.

"Bella, do not interfere. Stephanie has some powerful tantrums, but they never last for very long. She will not harm him. I think I know what is going on here, but we can talk about it once she's calmed down." He smiled warmly and took his hand off my shoulder. I felt strangely at ease with Connor. Not in a forced way like with Jasper's gift, I just knew he wouldn't harm me and I felt compelled to believe that his mate would calm down soon.

I sighed and looked back at Stephanie and Edward. I hadn't noticed before, but they looked a lot alike. Not only in their hair color, but their faces looked similar. They were angled in almost the same way, only Stephanie's face was more rounded and young-looking. I took a step forward as Stephanie went into a crouch, but just as Connor had predicted, her anger was starting to simmer. She straightened up and turned on her heel in the same movement. She stomped out into the forest, punching a thick maple tree and uprooting it.

Connor walked out in front of Edward and me and looked apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry about that… she does have a temper. I take it you have something to talk to us about?"

Edward nodded stiffly, his jaw clenched.

Connor nodded as well. "Follow me to the house. She'll be calmer now and hopefully capable of a reasonable conversation." He smiled ruefully again and sprinted the way Stephanie had gone.

I turned to Edward. "Do you know her?"

Edward shrugged and stared after Connor. "Let's go."


	4. Information

I kept pace with Edward who was following at a safe distance from Connor. I didn't think Connor was any danger to us, but I didn't argue when I saw Edward's expression. The run was short, and I was sure we were almost there when the thick trees began to thin. The pathway up to the house reminded me a lot of how Edward's house was. The yard could have easily been mistaken for a meadow as it stretched out for a couple acres. The house itself was spectacular. The two story mansion had a stone lower level gradually turning into a beautiful terra-cotta colored siding up to the roof. The curve of the roof gave off an air of a cottage that grew ten times its original size. All the windows were thrown open despite the cold breeze.

Stephanie stood in front of the house with Connor at her side. Connor smiled welcomingly at us and his smile widened at my expression. Stephanie still glared at Edward, but her temper was better than before. We came to a stop ten feet away from Stephanie and Connor and I smiled sheepishly.

"Your home is… well it is breath taking." I tried to ease the tension, but it didn't do much.

"Thank you." Stephanie said curtly, still eyeing Edward.

I took a deep breath, about to start explaining why we were here, when I caught a strange smell. It was the same scent as Stephanie and Connor, but with a slightly sweeter scent attached to it. The smell was mouth watering and I felt the twinge of the burning in my throat begin. Was there a human here?

"What is that smell?" I couldn't help myself, it just slipped out.

Stephanie and Connor stiffened and Stephanie locked her eyes on me. She looked shocked for a moment and then her lips pulled up over her teeth and she growled.

Edward stepped in front of me and bent into a crouch, growling in response.

"Edward… don't… I was just curious."

"I will not tolerate this behavior! We're here to make friends, not enemies." Edward snarled.

Connor walked over to the now crouched Stephanie and whispered in her ear. She sighed and straightened up.

"You're right. You deal with them." She shot us a hard look and then darted into the house. I could hear her talking to someone and another voice responding.

I took a step out from behind Edward and he straightened up as well. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. But what is that smell? It can't be human, but…" I couldn't deny the lust I felt for the blood I could so plainly smell. The blood didn't seem right, but it was still blood that would sedate the fire in my throat.

Connor eyed me cautiously. "It is probably something best seen. Won't you come inside? We can discuss your reasons for being here better in the comfort of my home."

"That is very generous of you, thank you." Edward stated formally. We walked after Connor through the double oak front doors into a wide and well lit foyer.

"Please make yourselves at home. I will be right back." He then sprinted up the massive staircase that dominated the right back corner. I could hear him bickering with Stephanie.

"Edward… is this safe? I don't think Stephanie likes you very much and I don't know how she'll handle seeing you in her house." She'd probably be even more upset if her anger caused her to start breaking things.

"No, this really isn't the safest idea, but what else could we have possibly done?" Edward pulled me around a corner like he knew where he was going and there were several black leather couches positioned around a floor to ceiling fireplace. A large wide screen television was placed above the mantle turned on to a random news station.

We sat down on one of the couches as Connor came around the corner. "Ah, you found the living room I see. Good. Well, my wife has agreed to come speak to you and she will show you what the smell was that Bella so pointedly brought up." He frowned like he was reluctant to continue. He then walked towards us and sat on the couch next to the one we were on.

Stephanie walked around the corner hand in hand with a boy who was about an inch taller than her. I stared at them quietly and gasped. The boy had a heart beat. I focused on him and my eyes widened. His hair was an even mixture of both Stephanie and Connor's; red-brown with darker streaks with the same wind-blown look that Connor had. His face was angelic and perfect in every way even for someone as young as him; I guessed he was about 15. His eyes were a brilliant green with brown flecks near the pupil. He walked with such grace that he could not possibly be human. I listened to his heart beat again and noticed that it beat too rapidly for a normal heart.

"He is…" I gasped. I felt Edward's shock at my side. This was not something we were expecting.

"Yes. He is part vampire. I conceived him one hundred years ago when I was still human and Connor a vampire. He stopped aging after 15 years of life." Stephanie said coldly. I could see that she expected us to be upset.

The boy waved shyly. "Hello. I'm Emmanuel." His voice was soft with a hint of a husky undertone that did not fit with how he looked.

Stephanie and Connor both looked at us expectantly.

I shook my head and laughed. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. "Hello Emmanuel. I'm Bella, and this is my husband Edward." I laughed again as he smiled a toothy grin.

Edward seemed to relax, but Stephanie and Connor still looked tense. "Stephanie, Connor, there is no need to worry yourselves. Bella and I have a daughter conceived and born in the same way. She has not yet reached full growth, but she is healthy and getting bigger by the day. I never would have imagined that there was another hybrid so close to home!"

Stephanie blinked. "You're telling the truth… she is beautiful." She struggled to compliment Edward, even if it wasn't about him.

"What? How could you know what she looks like?" Edward's expression had gone cold.

Stephanie pushed Emmanuel behind her and hissed. "I read your mind and saw her in there. Renesmee is it? Very original."

Edward was taken aback, so was I. She had two gifts?

"How could you read my mind? Bella is still shielding us. At least I think she is. Are you Bella?"

I nodded, too shocked to speak.

Stephanie shrugged and let Emmanuel out from behind her. "She must not be very strong. I can read her mind too."

My mouth fell open. I decided to do a test to see if she was telling the truth. _Can you hear me right now?_

"Yes, Bella, I can." The corners of her lips twitched as she fought a smile.

"Amazing." Edward mused. "You have two gifts?"

She shrugged. "Connor and I both do. Emmanuel only has one."

"What are your powers?" The question burst out before I could think if it was rude or not.

Connor smiled. "Well I'm assuming you know of my tracking ability?" He smiled at my nod. "My other gift is… unique. I've never heard of anyone else being able to do this. I shape shift. The shape shifting itself is different. I can become living creatures like plants, animals, even humans with a fake heart beat and everything, but I can also become inanimate objects like a tree or tables, I only know this because I was curious. I'm also only starting to figure out that I can become other things such as water and wind. It's pretty cool." He laughed and flashed a wide smile at us.

I was staring open mouthed at him again. This was something I had to see one day. "What does Emmanuel do?" I managed to ask.

Emmanuel took a step forward and looked into my eyes. "I can take powers away. Either completely away, or make a copy of it and then use it myself. However, I can't take mom's or yours because of your shields." He tilted his head to the side, still looking at me and sighed. "Nope, you may not be as strong as mom, but I still can't get past your shield." He seemed upset by this as every vampire I encountered whose gift didn't work on me was when they tried.

"Don't be discouraged, Emmanuel, you're not the only one who is unable to use their gift on me. Your mom is just special." I smiled as my words seemed to make him feel better.

Edward stared tensely at Emmanuel. "You all are more valuable than I could have imagined." He whispered thoughtfully.

"Excuse me? Valuable?" Stephanie's easy temper flared again. She'd probably get along well with Leah.

"I'm sorry, maybe that was not the best word to use." Edward smiled apologetically and Stephanie continued to glare, seeming to remember that she was supposed to hate Edward for whatever reason. "It's just the whole reason we came here was to speak to you. I had no idea you had a child; at least that would explain why you kept disappearing from her sight. My sister, Alice, her gift is seeing the future. And she saw a very disturbing future indeed which included both our families. Are you aware of the Volturi?"

Stephanie nodded. "I heard of them from the Romanians. Charming group, are they not?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Connor stiffen and his eyes narrowed. He must not have liked the Volturi.

"Well, in my sister's vision, for one reason or another, you let down your shield. The Volturi are keeping tabs on you because as you may or may not know, Aro is a collector of rare and powerfully gifted vampires. He would die to have your family join them. So as I said, you let down your shield and the Voltrui's tracker, Demetri, was able to find you. They came to you and asked you to join them and you said yes. Then they took you to our family and destroyed us. The Volturi holds a kind of grudge against my family." Edward glared at a corner of the room, his jaw clenched.

Stephanie was quiet for a moment and looked at Connor. "Well if this is the future, is there anything that can be done to stop it? I do not wish your family any harm." The look she shot at Edward said differently.

Edward ignored her stare. "Yes, there is something that can be done. The future my sister saw is not set in stone. She only saw what would happen if you let down your shield, which you were going to do. The only thing we could think of to do is to bring you back to our home with us to keep you protected. Will you come with us?" Edward looked hopeful. He looked from Stephanie's angry face to Connor's blank one.

"You want us to leave our home and go with you?" Connor asked, with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Yes. Not that we don't trust that you would not join them and harm us, but just as a precaution." His eyes flashed to Stephanie's face then back to Connor.

Connor sighed. "Darling, I think we should help them out."

Stephanie looked appalled. "And risk _our_ lives for _them_? Connor, we don't even know them! This could all be a trick to get us to just help them get the Volturi off their backs. Maybe they deserve punishment. The Volturi do not punish without cause!"

"If they were meaning to trick us, couldn't you read that in their minds?"

"You obviously don't know anything about how people think, Connor." She snapped. "They could be hiding it from me, thinking of something else to distract me from their real thoughts. It's not that hard."

Edward looked at Stephanie thoughtfully. "You would rather us die? Think of our daughter, she would be orphaned. Would you wish that upon your own child?"

Stephanie glared at Edward then sneered. "Your daughter won't be orphaned because she would be dead along with you." She spat the last words so ferociously that I couldn't believe she would say such a thing.

My own rage flared uncontrollably inside me and I was suddenly seeing red. A deafening snarl ripped from my throat and I launched myself at Stephanie, wanting to rip her throat out. How dare she say such a thing about my daughter! Was she that cold and cruel? I flew across the small space toward her for about half a second until I was flung across the room into a table, shattering it and creating a large dent in the floor. I lay there for a moment trying to figure out what had just happened. Oh, right, physical shield.

"Bella!" Edward ran over to me. "Are you alright?"

I sat up slowly and looked over at Stephanie's smug face. "Of course I'm fine." I got up slowly and paced back over to the couch where I had been sitting a moment before.

Stephanie grinned in a menacing way. "You know, I liked that table."

"Mother! That was uncalled for! You should apologize!" Emmanuel looked sternly at his mother.

Stephanie laughed and looked back at me. "Alright, my son is right, that was uncalled for. I apologize." Her mood swings were really starting to confuse me.

Edward cleared his throat to get everyone's attention again. He fumed at Stephanie for a moment. "So will you help us or not? We are not tricking you."

Stephanie paused and looked at Emmanuel. "Do you want to go and help these strangers?" She frowned just a bit.

Emmanuel nodded. "I like them, mom. They're good. We should help them because we're good too." I smiled, but Stephanie's frown deepened like that was not what she wanted to hear.

"Fine." She surrendered, closing her eyes and standing up from the couch. "We will go with you."


	5. Confrontation

Stephanie stood still in the middle of the assortment of couches, her eyes still closed. Her face scrunched slightly in concentration. I watched her, fascinated. Edward suddenly stiffened next to me and then flinched. I looked at him alarmed.

"I understand, Stephanie." He muttered. He composed his features and stared hard at Stephanie.

I looked back over to Stephanie. Her eyes were now open and a smug smile touched her lips. "Good." She turned her attention to Emmanuel then. "Emm, go pack a few things that you'd like to bring with you." Her smile turned warm and motherly.

Emmanuel nodded and left the room with Stephanie quickly following after him.

I eyed Edward. "What was that about?"

"She showed me what she would do to us if we were lying to her. She didn't go into too much detail, but it was enough."

I shuddered. "But how could she _show_ you something without taking down her shield?"

Connor cleared his throat and I jumped. He was so quiet that I had almost forgotten he was still there. "Stephanie can do some strange things with her gifts like she can show only Edward an image in his head, but still keep herself protected from other mental and physical gifts." He sighed softly and stared into my eyes for a moment. "I really hope you are not lying about all of this." He looked over to Edward then. "If you are, I would not hesitate in helping Stephanie tear you apart." His usually kind face turned dark.

"Then it's a good thing we're not lying." Edward stated dryly.

"We shall see." Connor stood up suddenly and paced slowly towards the hall. "It's time to depart then."

Edward and I rose from the couch and followed him to the foyer where Stephanie was waiting with Emmanuel, a small bag clutched in his hands. Connor took Stephanie's hand and squeezed, never taking his eyes off of us. The hospitality he showed us earlier was wearing thin.

"After you." Stephanie sneered. She really didn't want to do this. Emmanuel shot her a glace, but kept silent.

Edward sighed and pulled me along with him out the door. I could hear the three vampires behind us follow quietly down the few steps on the front porch.

"I should warn you…" Edward began, turning to face them.

"Whatever it is that you are going to warn us of would surely be of no danger to us. Just lead the way." Stephanie stated glumly. She glanced sideways at Emmanuel and tacked on, "Please."

Edward sighed again, but didn't continue. I had a feeling he was going to warn them about the werewolves, but maybe it would be best for Connor and Stephanie and see them firsthand. Edward gripped my hand in his and we started running down the long driveway into the thick trees. Stephanie and the others ghosted almost silently behind us. I permitted myself a fleeting look behind me to be sure they were still there. Their grace while running was spectacular, of course. Stephanie's run reminded me of a cheetah, very similar to Edward's. Connor and Emmanuel also showed the power and grace of a large cat in their run. They all could have easily outrun us if they wanted to. I shuddered and looked away just in time to miss ramming into a large tree.

The run was short, but was less exhilarating as other runs were. This one was filled with tension and anxiety; it took all the fun out of running. I was beside myself with joy when the Cullens' familiar scent started to overpower all the other scents and I knew we were close. Edward and I slowed to a walk as we came half way up the drive. The others slowed as well, keeping an even amount of space away from us. That was understandable; they were on the land of a large coven of vampires and despite how powerful they were, their natural instincts told them to be careful.

As we got closer to the house, I saw movement behind one of the windows. A second later, the front door opened and Carlisle, Emse, Rosalie with Nessie in her arms, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper all filed out slowly. Edward and I quickly joined them and turned to look back at our guests. Emmett whistled low and Rosalie jabbed her elbow at his ribs which he neatly dodged. I heard her sniff unhappily and she tightened her grip on Nessie. Connor pulled Emmanuel close to his side as his eyes swept across my family, finally landing on Nessie curiously. Stephanie's eyes, however, were locked on Carlisle, her mouth hanging open slightly. She stopped dead a few feet from where we stood and stared dumbstruck. I looked sideways at Carlisle. His expression mirrored Stephanie's.

"Stephanie?" He gasped, taking a step forward. He knew her?

Stephanie stood still, her expression confused. "So he meant _that_ Cullen… I never even thought of it as a possibility." She spoke quietly to herself. Did_ she_ know Carlisle? I was completely confused now.

Carlisle took another step forward. "How?" He breathed.

Stephanie shook her head and looked at Carlisle. "How indeed; last time I saw you, you were wheeling dead bodies away." Pain flashed across her face and she looked over at Edward, but instead of looking angry, she looked like she was in agony.

"Yes, that would be the last time you would have seen me." Carlisle murmured thoughtfully and rocked back on his heels. "I thought you were dead. I saw something about you in the obituaries."

"It said I died during childbirth, did it not?" She looked back at Carlisle. "Well it was partial truth I suppose." She gazed at her son for a second then back up at Carlisle.

Carlisle froze as he took Emmanuel in. "Another hybrid? So close by?" He was in complete shock.

"Yes. I had him the same way Bella here had her beautiful daughter." She flashed a brilliant smile at Nessie, who smiled back shyly. "But that is not important right now. We were summoned here not to have a get together. You are in danger; from the Volturi, no less. Is this the truth?"

"Sadly, it is indeed truth. My daughter, Alice, had a vision and the Volturi were planning on using you as a secret weapon of sorts against my family. We hope to possibly come to a friendship with you and maybe some protection. This all depends on you of course, if you're willing to cooperate…" Carlisle trailed off, staring at Stephanie, Connor, and Emmanuel with a mixture of confusion and another emotion I couldn't place; happiness maybe?

"We shall see." Stephanie smiled without showing any teeth and glanced back at Connor and Emmanuel. Even though she was younger than Connor, it was odd how she seemed to take the place as leader in her small coven. Maybe it was just a show like with James and Laurent. I repressed a shutter.

"Excuse me." Rosalie interrupted, handing Nessie over to me and stepping forward to stand next to Carlisle. "Since you have been found, and we are in no immediate danger, I think we should know how Carlisle and Stephanie seem to know each other."

Carlisle shot Rosalie a warning glace. "Mind your manners, Rose." He cautioned.

She put her hands on her hips and waited, ignoring the looks Stephanie was giving her. "I think we deserve to know if we're going to be housing them, Carlisle."

Carlisle sighed and looked over at Edward, his eyes looked as though he was seeing something far away and not really looking at Edward at all. I heard Edward's sharp gasp before Carlisle opened his mouth to speak. "Stephanie is Edward's biological sister."


	6. Story

Everyone stood completely still, shock written on all our faces. I was almost positive Edward was an only child. Stephanie couldn't be his _sister_, despite how much they looked alike. It was a couple minutes before Stephanie moved. She shook her head slowly, staring at Carlisle.

"That… is not possible… my brother is dead. I saw you wheeling him away into the morgue!" She looked distressed and anguish touched her eyes.

Everyone else began to unfreeze and Carlisle took a hesitant step toward Stephanie.

"Please, come inside and we can try to sort this out."

Stephanie's eyes darted from face to face, gauging our expressions. "Alright." She sighed and looked over at Connor and Emmanuel.

Carlisle nodded once and lead the way to the house. Stephanie, Connor, and Emmanuel followed slowly. Edward took my hand and towed me along after them stiffly. Everyone else filed in quietly behind us. Stephanie and Connor were already seated on one of the white couches. Emmanuel perched silently on the couch's arm next to them.

"Maybe, Stephanie, you should explain your story first." Carlisle suggested politely, standing near the wall with Esme.

Edward was frozen at my side. Everyone fixed their eyes on Stephanie. She closed her eyes and, after taking a deep breath, exhaled sharply.

"My human name was Stephanie Nicole Mason." She spoke slowly and opened her dark eyes. "My mother was Elizabeth Mason, same as Edward's, if he is indeed my sibling. My father, however, was Charles Mason, Edward Sr.'s younger brother. Before Edward Sr. and my mother were wed, my father had his eye on her. He was desperately in love with her." She paused and looked down. I was trying to imagine the world she lived in. "He would send her flowers everyday with a note attached; always signed 'Mason' and nothing more. My mother was flattered, of course. She was not well off, and the Masons were known for their wealth. She was unsure which of the Mason boys were her admirer, though. In one of her many love notes, she was invited to a party being thrown at the Mason manor. She graciously accepted, and her parents were ecstatic, hoping that their daughter would marry into the Mason family and have a better life than they." She looked up at Edward and she frowned, making her perfect face look slightly older. "She arrived in the most beautiful dress, took almost all the money her parents had for them to buy it for her. She mingled with the well-to-do crowd of the city, feeling out of place. That was when Edward Sr. saw her. He danced with her, and my mother immediately believed he was the one who had been sending the flowers. They fell in love instantly, and soon were arranged to be married. When my father found out…" She dropped her head into her hands and her shoulders dropped. "He was beside himself with anger. She was meant for him, not his brother. In a state of depression and chagrin, he became intensely drunk. He found my mother walking home one night from the market, un-chaperoned. In his mind, my mother had betrayed him and used him for gifts. If she would not take him, he would take her in the only way he could think of." Stephanie's voice dropped to little more than a whisper. "No one heard my mother's screams for help. Charles left her for dead in the middle of the street." I gasped and looked to Rosalie quickly, a look of pain plastered on her exquisite face. Stephanie lifted her head from her hands and looked around. "Luckily, Edward Sr. had been out looking for his brother, who has disappeared from the house. He came across my mother lying broken and bleeding. He ran her to the hospital here she miraculously survived. Unfortunately, nine months later came me. My mother loved me, but Edward Sr. refused to care for the child of my mother's rapist. She agreed to deliver me to the orphanage when I was a year old. My mother and Edward Sr. were married. A year passed and true to her word, my mother took me out to be delivered to the orphanage. However, she couldn't do it. She loved me too much. Instead, she took me to Charles' home far outside the city. She begged him to keep me. He agreed, feeling horrible about what he had done to the woman he loved. She visited me often. When I was three, I learned that my mother had given birth to a son named Edward. I met him a few times, but father rarely let me leave the house. When I turned 18, I went to meet my brother." She smiled slightly and stared at a spot on the wall absentmindedly, lost in her story. "He was beautiful. He and I bonded almost instantly. Mother never told him I was his sister, Edward Sr. refused it. On my way back to my father's home, I met Connor. We fell in love, got married, and I became pregnant with Emmanuel by the time I turned 20. Connor changed me on my 20th birthday. I went to my mother's home to tell Edward and my mother of my new son, but they were nowhere to be seen, the house boarded up with 'quarantine' written on the door. I had been out of the human world for so long; I hadn't even realized that the influenza epidemic was going on around me. I went to the hospital, hoping to see Edward, but at the same time also hoping that he had gotten out before the disease had reached him. When I got to the hospital, I saw the infamous Dr. Carlisle Cullen wheeling my lifeless brother towards the morgue. I've gone on thinking he was dead for so long now." She sighed and Connor took her hand in his reassuringly.

The room was silent. I turned slightly to look at Edward. His eyes were tight and he continued to stare at Stephanie.

"Stephanie…" Carlisle began gently. "Edward didn't die. He was going to, yes, but I changed him. I had to get him from the hospital, so I staged it to look as though I was wheeling a dead body to the morgue. I'm sorry to have distressed you so. I remember seeing you run out of the hospital. Your father took you to me many times for check-ups and I knew you were Edward's sister, but I was sure you had passed when I saw your name in the obituaries. I knew you were a vampire, but I had to change Edward quickly, and I could not get to you in time to explain."

Stephanie nodded, looking as if she were going to cry.

"Carlisle?" Edward finally unfroze enough to whisper. He looked in pain.

"Yes, Edward. She really is your sister." Carlisle seemed to read Edward's mind instead of the other way around for once.

Edward shook his head then ran from the house. I stood there, wondering if I should follow him or not. Stephanie looked shocked and then sighed.

"He doesn't want to believe, but he knows it is the truth. He's mostly aggravated that his father never told him about me. He can remember me, but only vaguely." Stephanie quietly narrated the thoughts that were in Edward's head for us. "He wants to be left alone for a bit, don't worry, Bella, he'll be back soon once he's settled down."

"Stephanie… would you take a walk with me?" Rosalie spoke up softly, looking shy now instead of aggravated as she had been earlier. Stephanie rose fluidly from the couch looking confused and she followed Rosalie out the back doors.

I looked at Alice. "How didn't you know this?"

Alice shook her head. "I didn't know Stephanie existed, so I was not looking for her and I supposed Emmanuel would have caused my sight to be unclear of her anyway. When you and Edward were talking about her a few days ago was the first time I saw her, and even than I didn't know she was related to Edward." She shrugged her delicate shoulders.

I nodded and then started to walk slowly towards the still opened front door.

"Where are you going?" Connor asked.

"To go calm Edward down. He may think he wants to be alone, but I know better than that." I broke into a sprint then, following Edward's scent towards the woods.


	7. Acceptance

Edward hadn't gone very far. I was only a couple miles north of the house when I found him seated on a boulder. He turned his attention away from the canopy above him to smile briefly at me. I paced quickly over to him and wrapped my arms around his middle.

"Please don't be sad." I tried to sound reassuring, not quite sure if he needed it or not.

He patted my head and chuckled. "I'm alright, Bella, really. I just need some time to think. All these years I thought all of my family died out that night the influenza hit and that I was alone." His gaze wandered back up to the trees. Long rays of sunlight escaped through the thick branches, causing Edward and me to sparkle where the light touched our skin.

I hoisted myself up next to him and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"I don't think that really makes up for her behavior."

Edward laughed. "She must be related to me with that temper! My father, as I remember, was not one to throw temper tantrums. My mother was somewhat of a monster herself when she was angry." A faint smile touched his lips. I liked hearing about Edward's human life, or what he could remember of it, but it always seemed to cause him pain so I never brought it up. Now was probably the best time to broach the subject.

"What do you remember of Stephanie?"

He paused. "It's all very fuzzy… she was my best friend, as I recall. She was very tomboyish, but still knew how to carry herself as a lady and be proper. It was nice to be able to talk to someone." He shrugged. "Maybe things would have been different if I had known she was my sister. Maybe we would have acted like real siblings and fought with each other a lot. I do remember getting the wedding invite. My father said we were not allowed to go." He looked down at me. "Like I said, it's fuzzy."

We were silent for a while, enjoying each other's company and the nice day.

"I wonder why Stephanie and Connor are so powerful. It seems hardly fair to have that level of power. The Volturi must be terrified of them or else they would have gone to them already."

"I'm sure the Volturi would have, but like I said before, they're not easy to find."

"Then how come we found them so easily?"

Edward's brow furrowed a bit. "I'm not sure… maybe Stephanie read our minds and was curious?" He still looked deep in thought.

I raised myself up slightly and kissed his forehead. "Let's head back; I'm sure they're wondering about us."

We hopped down from the rock lightly and walked back to the house at a human pace hand in hand.

When we got back to the house, everyone was seated in various locations around the large room. I noticed Stephanie sitting on the floor with Nessie laughing and clapping in her lap. Connor lounged in front of them and I saw him use his transformation gift for the first time. I watched in awe as Connor shifted from a vampire to a golden retriever puppy to a tin can of cookies and back into a vampire. Nessie cheered loudly for him and screamed, "Again! Again! Be a kitty now!" I looked around for Emmanuel and saw him admiring Alice's impressive computer collection with Alice standing proudly next to him explaining each one.

"Momma! Watch what Uncle Connor can do!" Nessie chimed, pulling my attention back to the little show.

Where Connor had been was now a small orange house cat. He padded up to Nessie and nuzzled her leg, purring. She was ecstatic.

I laughed. "Very cool, Nessie." I went and sat on the couch, Edward stayed standing, looking at Stephanie.

Stephanie looked up and placed Nessie next to her on the floor, kissing her forehead. She rose from the floor slowly to face Edward and her expression was that of deep regret.

"I want to apologize for my behavior. You must understand where I was coming from… I haven't seen you in years…" She smiled brilliantly.

"I understand completely. I can vaguely remember you."

"We have a lot of catching up to do." She closed the gap between them and shocked me by embracing him in a gentle hug. Edward froze for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around her in a brotherly way.

Stephanie took a step back and smiled. "I'm not entirely sure if you really are my brother… it may take some time for me to fully believe it's you, but for now, we can try to get to know each other again. Do you remember the old handshake I taught you?" She held out her hand to Edward, waiting.

Edward looked down at her hand and grasped it. They did a series of different signs and movements with their hands for a moment until Stephanie laughed loudly.

"You're making it very difficult for me to not trust that you are my dear little Edward." Her eyes shone brightly despite how dark they were from thirst. She seemed to have noticed her thirst then, because she stroked her throat and looked at Connor, now back to his normal self, with a pleading look.

"We should probably hunt, as you found us in the process of hunting." Connor stood as he spoke, taking long strides towards Stephanie.

"We really should." Stephanie agreed happily. "Emmanuel, are you thirsty?"

Emmanuel ran over to stand next to his mother, a smile playing across his lips. "Thought you'd never ask." We all laughed.

"Edward, Nessie, and I should go with you; we're in need of a meal." I stood and danced in a very Alice fashion over to Edward and the others. Nessie squealed and ran to us, jumping into my arms and putting her hand to my cheek. I saw images of mountain lions for a moment and then she lifted her hand. "Yes, Nessie, if we can find any you can have one."

"Alright then! Carlisle, we're going hunting." Edward said as if Carlisle was standing in front of him instead of somewhere on the upper levels. I heard Carlisle's quiet "Okay" as clear as if he were whispering it in my ear. Being a vampire never ceased to amaze me.

Edward opened the door and we all strode out onto the porch. Walking slowly towards us about a mile away from the porch steps were Jacob, Quil, Embry, Seth, and Leah all in wolf forms. We all froze and looked at Stephanie, and Connor. Both their nostrils were flared and their faces were fierce with anger. Seeming to act as one, they both sprang at the same time towards the wolves.


	8. Wolves

Jacob snarled loudly and Leah leapt in front of him, Stephanie and Connor didn't stop, taking positions that looked as though they had done this a million times. Stephanie took the head and Connor shifted back towards her left heel. The wolves all snarled louder getting ready to strike.

Edward gasped next to me and stared wide eyed at Stephanie and Connor. I took it as his worry for Jacob and his pack.

"Jake, no! They're too powerful!" I screamed, about to leap down the steps to stop Stephanie.

I was too late. Stephanie collided with Leah, sending both of them toppling into Jacob who took out Seth at the same time. It was like a large furry game of dominos. Stephanie leapt to her feet quickly, looking confused.

"What the hell…" She muttered. "_Why didn't they go flying!?"_ Leah wiggled helplessly, trying to get off Jacob, who was also trying to get off Seth.

"They have some broken bones." Edward muttered next to me.

I winced and ran to the wolves to stop Embry and Quil who were now advancing on Stephanie. Connor threw himself in front of Stephanie and snarled ferociously at the wolves. Embry and Quil looked sideways at each other and both took half a step back.

"Stop it!" I cried, shoving at Embry's huge shoulder to push him farther away from Connor. "These two are our friends!"

"Bella, come over here, they want to faze back." Edward spoke next to me, turning his back on the wolf pile up to give them some privacy. I did the same. "Stephanie, Connor, kindly look away so they can faze."

I didn't know if they did, but the howls of pain turned into human cries.

"Get off us Leah!" Jacob's irritated voice yelled.

"I'M TRYING YOU ASS! MY ARM IS BROKEN! I'M GONNA KILL THAT BLOODSUCKER!" Leah screamed.

"My side really hurts!" Seth's muffled whimper came next.

I heard a slight scuffle then their soft footsteps into the forest to put some clothes on.

"Can I turn around now?" I looked sideways at Edward. He nodded and I turned to see Jacob limping out from the trees followed by a battered looking Seth and Leah.

"Oh my gosh! Are you guys okay!?" I ran to them.

"Do we _look_ okay!? I'm gonna rip that reeking filthy bloodsucker apart!" Leah seethed, storm over to where Stephanie still stood, looking frustrated.

Connor growled at her and his face scrunched up in concentration. He shook his head and then closed his eyes tight, in deep concentration again. What was he trying to do?

"What is this!?" He growled under his breath.

"Leah, enough. Would you _please_ explain to me why we just had our bones broken by a rabid bloodsucker?" Jacob shot a glare at Stephanie.

Embry and Quil sat back on their haunches and whined softly.

"They're friends and you caught Stephanie off guard." Edward explained.

"What happened out here?" Carlisle came to our sides and examined the situation,

"Jacob and his pack surprised Stephanie and Connor." Edward announced. He was fighting a smile and I nudged his side.

"Oh dear… come with me Jacob, Leah, Seth, we'll fix you up inside."

"Jake! Auntie didn't hurt you, did she?" Nessie ran down from the porch with Emmanuel holding her hand.

"Auntie?" Jacob looked at me. "Care to explain?"

I sighed. "Go get fixed up and we'll talk about it after we get back from our hunt." Jacob gave me a look, but limped after Carlisle. Leah and Seth followed, Leah muttering to herself. Quil and Embry launched into the woods, probably going to warn Sam.

Once all the wolves were gone I glared at Stephanie. "Why did you do that?"

Stephanie still looked confused and slightly angry, Connor mirrored her expression. "They were werewolves, I acted on instinct." Her voice sounded far away.

"Stephanie… why did you let down your shield when the wolves were around?" Edward questioned softly.

Stephanie blinked. "I didn't. Why do you say that?"

"I could read your mind."

Her mouth fell open a fraction. "Well that explains why they didn't fly back when I ran at them. But I couldn't read their minds! I couldn't read anyone's mind! But now, I can read all your minds as perfectly as before."

"I was unable to transform or get a sense of their minds either, but now I think I'm fine." As if to test it, Connor shifted into a mimic of a giant wolf that looked like Jacob and then back to himself.

"Odd… the wolves seem to have some kind of effect on you as they do for Alice's visions." Edward muttered.

"Wait, so all your gifts were gone? Just like that? How can the wolves _do_ that?" I asked.

"I don't know… Emmanuel, were you affected at all by the wolves?" Edward half turned towards Emmanuel, still holding Nessie's hand.

"I don't think so… but I can't be positive as I wasn't trying to take anyone's gifts away."

"Very odd…" Edward mused. "We'll have to mention this to Carlisle when we get back from hunting."

Stephanie and Connor both looked very sour and they darted into the forest.

"They're angry." It was a statement, not a question.

"They've never met anything or anyone who could stop them." Emmanuel murmured.

"First time for everything." Edward chuckled. "Let's go, Nessie." He tugged on Nessie's arm. She was staring off towards the house, looking worried. "Or you can stay behind." Edward let her go.

Nessie looked at me. "Momma, I have to go check on Jake."

I nodded. "Of course sweetheart." She let go of Emmanuel's hand and sprinted back to the house.

Emmanuel looked a bit dejected and I suspected a kind of romance forming in his mind.

"Shall we then?" Edward smiled at Emmanuel and me.

"Let's go find them before they destroy the whole forest." Emmanuel laughed.

We all ran after Stephanie and Connor, following their scent and the path of uprooted trees.


	9. Blind

The hunt was not as enjoyable as I would have liked it to be. We came across a family of bears at the river side and I sat back with Edward and Emmanuel to let Connor and Stephanie release some of their anger on the unsuspecting animals. They never spoke a word to us the entire time.

I sighed and lifted my head up from the now drained buck. "Edward, I have a really bad feeling about how they reacted to the wolves. At least none of the other vampires who have met them acted that way, so it couldn't just be "instinct"."

Edward leaned casually against a large tree and looked down at me. "Yes, it was very strange. When I read their minds for those brief moments, I couldn't make sense of what they were thinking. It was mostly just a string of profanities being screamed." He closed his eyes and frowned. "But I am worried about Jacob. Stephanie seemed to feel particular hatred for him. Maybe it was a very good thing we didn't let him come with us before." He opened his eyes and smiled.

I nodded and stood up. "Maybe we should head back, I'm full." He shrugged away from the tree and took my hand in his.

Connor jumped down from the tree overhead and landed gracefully next to us, Stephanie followed quickly after him. Their expressions were hard, but there was something else there, like something had been resolved and they were a bit calmer. I shuttered.

"Where's Emmanuel?" I asked quietly as we started to run back for home.

"He went back to the house." Connor responded flatly.

"Oh."

We got back to the house not too long after. Unfortunately Jacob and the others were still there. Jacob, Leah, and Seth were all covered in bandages and both Jacob and Leah had slings for their arms.

"Oh Jacob!" I dropped onto the couch next to him and tried to find a way to hug him without causing more damage.

"Hey Bells." He smiled widely at him as if he wasn't all broken.

"What's the damage?"

"Well Leah and I both have broken arms in a couple places and bruised ribs. Seth had a couple broken ribs and a broken leg. His mom is on her way to pick him up."

I looked over at Seth and he smiled and waved at me. His leg was propped up on

the couch in a cast and a large bandage was wrapped around his middle.

"Seth! I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright Bella! I'll heal soon enough."

Leah glared at the still opened front door. Stephanie and Connor hadn't come in yet. I looked around and everyone was downstairs. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle were all sitting and talking, Alice was sitting at her computer. Emmanuel was in a corner with Renesmee, playing a hand game. Edward was still outside with Connor and Stephanie, I guessed.

"I'll be right back." I told Jacob as I rose from the couch.

"Sure sure." He turned his attention back to the television.

I turned to leave the room and see if Edward needed any help, when Stephanie came in through the doors with Connor close behind. She looked at Jacob and hissed as frustration touched her eyes. She must not be able to read anyone's mind anymore.

Jacob stood up and winced slightly. "What is your problem bloodsucker!?" Leah stood up slowly as well, trying not to show her pain from the motion.

Stephanie's eyes turned into slits as she stared Jacob down. Edward leapt into the room then and came to my side.

"I see why they hate the wolves so much now."

"Oh, so you get to have your gift work, but we don't?" Stephanie was looking at us now while Connor continued to glare at Jacob. "Why is that do you suppose? They can take gifts away, but only certain ones. They're dangerous. They shouldn't be allowed to survive." She whipped her head back to stare at Jacob and Leah. "You know why I despise this filth so much, Edward, why don't you explain it."

Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were watching Stephanie now. I saw Jasper from the corner of my eye rise from the chair he was in and come slowly closer to where we were.

"It's not my story to tell." Edward murmured, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Fine. Connor and I befriended plenty of our kind over the years. And nearly every single one these filthy mongrels destroyed. Connor and I vowed that the day we found them, we would kill every last one just as they did to our friends." She took a step forward and Jacob tensed.

"But Stephanie, these are not werewolves, they're shape shifters." Edward began.

"Werewolf is but a word! Shape shifters indeed. No… Connor is a shape shifter. These mutts are just mutated dogs!" She spat a small bit of venom at Jacob's feet and he recoiled in disgust.

"But this group couldn't have possibly done any harm to you… you're way out of their hunting range." Edward was sounding desperate to calm Stephanie down. I guessed it was for my sake, he probably would have helped her kill the wolves if he had it his way.

"They are the very same group. That one, the brown dog, acted alone for some time, killed a couple of our friends when they were alone. And then as a group they killed a good friend named Laurent."

I froze. They were friends with Laurent?

"They had good reason for killing Laurent, Stephanie, he tried to kill Bella while she was still human." Edward nearly spat Laurent's name.

"Regardless, he was a friend. I will see to it that they pay dearly for it." She gave Jacob one last hard glare and then stormed up the stairs with Connor.

"Damn, she has a temper." Jacob sat back down with a groan and looked at me warily.

"That she does." Alice chimed from her computer.

"So we make their gifts go away? Cool. What can they do?"

"Stephanie is a shield like me but for physical and mental attacks and she can kill someone with her shield and she can also read minds. Connor is a tracker and can shape shift." I said quietly. I was worried that Stephanie meant what she said. Jacob and his pack would never be able to fight her off if she was angry.

"Wait, they both have _two_ gifts? Life just gets stranger and stranger doesn't it?" He laughed and leaned his head back on the couch. Leah was still standing, looking awkward.

"Well, I guess the best thing to do would be to try and calm them down." I sighed.

"I suppose – Alice!" Edward ran over to where Alice was sitting. She was twitching slightly in one of the computer chairs, her eyes far off and as wide as they would go. Jasper threw himself at her and started shaking her. She let out a soft gasp and then she went limp, her eyes closing.

"Alice! ALICE!" Jasper cried, shaking her violently. Everyone stood up and ran over to where Alice was.

"What's wrong with her!?" I yelled.

"Carlisle! What's going on!" Jasper kept shaking Alice's lifeless body.

Suddenly, Alice's eyes opened and she looked around at all of us with shock written all over her face.

"ALICE!" We all yelled together in relief.

"What happened!?" Edward cried. "I couldn't keep up with your vision."

Alice was shaking her head. "I don't know what it was… I was starting to get a vision of something involving Stephanie, and then it was like an explosion went off in my head and I saw so many things! They were going too fast for me to keep up also. They were so loud too, I couldn't handle it. Then… I guess my body broke down and I couldn't see anymore, I couldn't even physically see. I was blind for that minute. Now… I can physically see, but now I can't see any visions. I couldn't even tell you what tonight's weather will be." She looked around at each of us.

"What could have caused this to happen?" Esme asked softly.

"I don't know… I've never heard of a gift just being gone like that except for what the wolves do, but she could still see the weather and minor things like that with the wolves around. And they never caused that kind of reaction." Carlisle pondered.

"What do we do now? What if this was the doings of the Volturi and now they're coming for us!" I gasped.

We all looked around at each other with similar expressions. We were in trouble now.


	10. Suspicion

As the week went on, Alice's visions never came back. Jasper and Carlisle would sit with her for hours on end trying to force a vision from her, but still nothing. Stephanie and Connor never came down from the room that used to be Edward's either. Like I had taken Jasper's gift, I could feel the anguish and tension around me.

"Jacob, I think you should leave so we can give Stephanie and Connor some relief." I frowned at Jacob who had refused to leave the couch even after all his bones were completely healed.

"Now why would I do that? It's her problem, not mine." Jacob laughed, smirking at me.

I glared at him. I hated when he acted this way. I was about to tell him to leave again, when I heard Edward's door open and footsteps along the top most floor. I turned to look at the stairs, and sure enough, Stephanie and Connor were descending the winding staircase slowly. Everyone in the room tensed. Stephanie looked around for a moment, cautious. Then, a warm smile spread across her lips as she made her way to the couch Edward, Jacob, and I were on.

"May I speak to the do—Jacob, please?" Her voice was hitched up in a sweet tone that I didn't trust.

"What do you want, bloodsucker?" Jacob leapt from the couch and grinned at Stephanie.

Stephanie's lips twitched slightly as she fought to keep her smile in place. "Please excuse my behavior the other day. If you are friends with my brother and sister-in-law, then I will try and… accept that." She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're _really_ sorry." Jacob's grin became wider. "So, Laurent was your friend, was he? You know, he was a complete coward when we killed him. Ran away screaming like a little baby." He barked out a laugh.

"Jacob!" I hissed.

Stephanie's nostrils flared, and her smile looked painful. "You would do well to watch what you say, mutt." Her tone had gone murderous.

"See, you really don't want to accept me at all. That's fine, I enjoy pissing you off." Jacob started laughing.

Stephanie was shaking, her hands balled up into tight fists at her sides. She wasn't smiling anymore.

"Stephanie, STOP!" Edward yelled, jumping to his feet.

It happened so fast that even I had almost missed it. Stephanie lunched at Jacob, just as she had before, but instead of jumping on him, she punched her fist so hard into Jacob's face that he went flying through the living room and crashed through the back windows. I heard Leah and Seth growl in anger outside. Blood was smeared on Stephanie's fist, and I recoiled from the smell.

"WE'RE LEAVING!" Stephanie screamed. She turned on her heel and stomped out the front door with Connor and Emmanuel following her.

I could hear Connor trying to calm her down outside.

"Stephanie, they're family! We can't just leave them!"

"I'm not staying around with that filthy dog here!"

"Fine, but when you've calmed down, we come back."

There was something strange about their little conversation. Sure it sounded genuine, but it felt a little rehearsed. Connor's promise to come back didn't sound all too friendly either.

I sighed and turned my attention to the broken wall. Jacob was standing outside the house. His jaw was lopsided and the left side of his face was covered in blood.

"You deserved that, Jacob." I muttered.

"Oh come on! How come _she_ is the only one allowed to hit the wolves!?" Emmett whined from under the stairs where he and Rosalie were constructing a massive house of cards.

"Come inside, Jacob, I'll fix you up again." Carlisle frowned.

Jacob stormed back into the house looking ready for revenge.

"Edward… can we talk?"

Edward looked surprised for a moment, but followed me out the doors and into the forest regardless.

"What is it, Bella?"

"I have a bad feeling about Stephanie and Connor leaving… it all seems rehearsed. Stephanie and Connor's reaction to Jacob, Alice losing her vision, and then right before they left, Stephanie and Connor's conversation was sort of unconvincing." Nothing was going right.

"Well, Bella, I don't really see how they could be related to Alice losing her visions…" He trailed off and stopped dead on the little path we were following. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his eyes were huge. "No… it couldn't be…" he muttered.

"What is it Edward!?" I went to his side and looked around to be sure we were safe.

"Bella! Do you remember what Emmanuel's gift was?"

"Yes, he can take powers away…" I gasped. "No! You don't think… with Alice?"

"It's the only explanation as to why Alice lost her gift so suddenly. The wolves must not affect Emmanuel's gift because he's on the same wave length as the wolves, like Renesmee."

"But why would Emmanuel do that?"

"I don't know, but we need to go back and tell the others, see what they think." He grabbed my hand and we ran back to the house.

Esme was sweeping up the glass from the window and every time she looked up at the hole, she would sigh loudly.

Edward went to Alice and I followed him.

"Alice, we think we might know what is going on with your visions." Edward began, sitting in front of Alice.

"What do you think it is?" For the first time, Alice looked very tired, like she was worn out.

"We think it may be Emmanuel's gift…" Edward began.

Suddenly, Alice clasped her hands to her head and she started screaming a high pitched earsplitting sound. Edward and I jumped back in shock.

"NO! THEY'RE GOING TO THE VOLTURI!" Alice screamed. Just as suddenly as it happened, she went limp on the floor.


	11. Inevitable

I was frozen, too shocked to move with the others to try and wake Alice up. I didn't even know that vampires could faint. Alice's words rang through my head, louder than her own screams. _They're going to the Volturi._ She couldn't have meant the Reids. We were family; newly established family, but family nonetheless. Could the wolves have such a dramatic impact on them that they would hurt us in the process? It didn't make any sense, either, if Emmanuel had taken away Alice's gift, how was she able to see this vision? Could Emmanuel give back the gift for a bit, then take it right back? I tried to focus my eyes on Edward and Jasper who were both shaking Alice. She still hadn't opened her eyes. I had to help. I could freak out later when Alice was back to normal.

I slowly unfroze myself and assessed the scene just like I learned way back in grade ten safety class. Carlisle was torn between fixing Jacob's broken jaw and helping Alice while everyone else was surrounding Alice.

"Can vampires faint?" I asked. Seemed like a silly question, but given the current situation, who knew.

"I've never heard of it happen! But I've never heard of someone with Emmanuel's gift either." Edward hissed through his teeth.

"EMMANUEL DID THIS!?" Jasper roared.

I flinched. I had never heard Jasper raise his voice like that.

"It's a theory." Edward stated flatly. "Let's put her on the couch, maybe she'll come around soon on her own."

Jasper lifted Alice carefully into his arms and placed her gingerly on one of the couches.

And so we waited.

It was completely silent except for the occasional soft swear from Jacob in the kitchen where Carlisle was working on him. The hours seemed to drag on, and still no response from Alice.

"What is Emmanuel's gift?" Jasper asked in a dead tone, never taking his eyes off his one true love.

"He takes gifts away. They never went into detail how one would respond to having the gift ripped out of them, but that seems to be more literal than anything. When Alice was freaking out before, her gift was being ripped from her very body. At least, that's what my speculation is. Then, just now, I'm guessing that Emmanuel can give gifts back for a bit, and then take it back again; must take a lot out of the body to do it, though." Edward was thoughtful for a moment as he watched Alice's motionless body.

"What would cause them to act this way? He's your nephew, Edward." Rosalie whispered from the other couch.

"I can think of a good reason." Edward growled darkly.

Rosalie nodded. "The _dog_ did cause quite a stir with Stephanie. She even wanted to make a truce."

"Hardly. You should have heard her thoughts. She would have tried to accept the wolves, but her hatred would stay as strong as ever."

I sighed and leaned against Edward. "Do you think Alice's vision was about them?"

Edward wrapped his arms protectively around me. "I don't know, but I'm really hoping it's not."

It was nearly midnight when Alice finally started moving. We all stood up, anxious. Alice suddenly threw herself upright and looked around, confused.

"ALICE!" Jasper threw himself at her and wrapped his arms tight around her waist.

"Hello Jasper. Can someone please tell me why I am a child's plaything all of a sudden?" She stroked Jasper's head and looked around at each of us.

"Well, first, what did you see and what happened to you? You've been unconscious for several hours now." Jasper smiled at her and refused to release his grip.

Alice's expression turned dark. "They don't mean us any harm, but if we get in the way of their target, they will kill us. They had every intention of going to the Volturi the day they saw Jacob, but chose to stick around. I'm guessing that's why Emmanuel took my gift?" Edward nodded and she frowned. "When Jacob insulted Laurent, the decision, I'm guessing, was final. Emmanuel gave me a vision showing them going to the Volturi. I saw Stephanie, Connor, and Emmanuel in black cloaks with red eyes. Jane will take a particular liking to Emmanuel. The whole guard will come again. They will kill us all."

"So your first vision will come true regardless of us finding Stephanie and Connor." I murmured. Thanks a lot Jacob.

"No problem!" Jacob called from the kitchen. "We can take on those bloodsuckers! OW!"

"Try not to talk, Jacob, you'll mess up your jaw even more." Carlisle's voice was a lot sterner than usual.

"Should we call on all the others who offered to help us last time?" Esme asked.

Alice nodded. "It would be helpful to have more gifts on our side. They would have the upper hand there if we went alone."

I could feel the panic creeping up on me again. My family was in danger again. Jacob had to go with Renesmee. I could only hope that they could keep running from Connor's tracking ability. Maybe he wouldn't be able to see them. Stephanie would never give up her search for him.

"Why can't things ever be normal around here?" Emmett asked in a serious tone.

"What? You're not having fun?" Edward asked sarcastically. "Let's start rounding up help. Any idea when the Volturi plan to pay us a visit, Alice?"

"Not yet. I will know for sure once they get to Italy and talk to the Volturi. Caius will be so thrilled." Alice sighed.

"Is there no hope of stopping them then?" I murmured.

"No," Alice whispered, "the fight is inevitable. We either come out victorious or die trying."


	12. Guests

The feeling of déjà vu was slowly trying to crush me as everyone left to separate corners of the Earth to find help. This time, however, it was warriors we were seeking. Edward and I stayed behind with Renesmee and Jacob who had most of his head wrapped in a bandage, making it very hard for him to talk. Thank God.

The first to arrive were Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, and Carmen. They were willing as anything to help us however they could, even if that meant dying. Edward and I filled them in on the situation and what we were dealing with, but as we were finishing up, more would arrive and we'd have to start over, so I chose to stop telling the story until everyone got there. After three days, 20 vampires had arrived: Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, Carmen, Charlotte, Peter, Siobhan, Liam, Maggie, Garrett, Mary, Randall, Alistair, Zafrina, Senna, Kachiri, Stefan, Vladimir, Tia, and Benjamin. The arrival of Benjamin and Tia shocked both Edward and I.

"We tried to convince Amun to come with us" Benjamin said sternly, "But he's too proud or whatever. So we left him because it would be wrong for us to sit back while you all fought for your lives."

Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett all returned shortly after. Edward and I gathered everyone into the large front room; the majority of the wolves were there too. Edward stood up and everyone immediately stopped their quiet chatter to focus on him.

"Most of you already know the story, but for those of you who don't, here is why we call you back here for battle instead of witness. Not but a couple days ago I came across my sister; my real sister from when I was human." He paused to let a murmur run through the small crowd. "Her name is Stephanie and her mate is Connor. They have a child as well, born and conceived in the same way as Renesmee, named Emmanuel. Their gifts are great as they each have two except for Emmanuel."

"TWO GIFTS!?" Vladimir's voice screeched.

"How is that even possible?" Eleazar mused.

Edward put up his hands. "Please. We do not know how they could have two gifts, but they do. Stephanie is a shield for both mental and physical attacks and her shield can be moved out to attack someone and kill them, she can also read minds like me and it is powerful enough to break through Bella's shield. Connor can shape shift and is such a talented and powerful tracker that he can nearly read your mind as well. Emmanuel can take your gift away, rip it clear from your body or make a copy of it to use himself. We are learning now that he can also give snippets of the gift back to the original owner as Alice here only knows too well about."

"So if Stephanie is your sister, then we must be allies." Stefan began.

"Their power is great and could take down the Volturi." Vladimir continued in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Very good plan, using them to finally take down those Italian bugs. So where are they?" Stefan asked.

"We _were_ allied with them." Edward stated sourly.

"Were? What happened!?" Eleazar growled.

"_He happened_." Edward snarled, pointing at Jacob.

Everyone turned their attention on Jacob. He tensed and his fellow pack members all shifted their wait toward the horde of vampires.

"What do the wolves have to do with anything?" Tanya asked.

"Everything. Jacob provoked an already upset Stephanie. Stephanie and Connor had been friends with many vampires Jacob and his pack have killed. She holds a personal grudge against him. She came wanting to make a truce, but he basically spat in her face, which is when her decision was made to go to the Volturi then come back here and destroy us. Which is why we called you all here. We need help fighting off the Volturi."

"How could we possibly hope to win against your sister?" Siobhan asked, looking frightened.

I stood up then as a plan began to form in my head. "The Reids have a flaw in their gifts. When they are around the wolves, their gifts no longer work. The same thing happens with Alice. The only one who doesn't seem to be affected by the wolves, though, is Emmanuel. We may have a chance to win as long as we can keep the wolves around Stephanie and Connor and then have a group take them out. That way, I'd be able to shield us all as we try to take out the rest of the Volturi." I was surprised at myself.

Everyone looked skeptical and scared for their lives. It did sound impossible; we were untrained in sophisticated battle. Jasper had never fought against the likes of the Volturi. Many of us would not come out alive. I looked around at all the faces of my family and friends. My eyes landed on Edward's face and he smiled warmly at me. How could I put them in danger? How could I possibly live with myself for the rest of forever if Edward or Alice or, I swallowed hard, Nessie, were hurt or killed?

"When are they coming?" Maggie mumbled.

Alice shook her head. "I'm not sure yet. I won't know until Emmanuel shows me. This is very irritating and I wish to be the one that takes him down." She snarled in a very un-Alice way. "I just know that it's soon; Emmanuel made that clear in the last vision he showed me."

"Then we must get as ready as possible." Sam spoke up for the first time. He rose from his spot on the floor and looked at Carlisle roughly. "We will help you. Are these vampire's fighting habits similar to the newborns we helped you fight before?"

Before Carlisle could answer, Stefan made a sound in the back of his throat.

"Newborns… the Volturi fight like demons, killing all in their path. At least the guard does. Aro can't be bothered to get his prissy little hands dirty."

"Yes, they are nothing like a pack of lowly newborns. The Volturi Guard is highly trained, but luckily for us, most of them rely too much on their gifts to do much physical fighting." Vladimir continued, a slow frown touching his lips.

"Then what do we do to prepare?" Sam asked, looking tired.

Jasper sighed. "We can still use some maneuvering from the lessons about newborn killing, but they must be more precise and quicker. If we go to the field we can practice with everyone now."

Everyone started talking quietly as Jasper lead the way out the front door. I stood behind as I heard everyone sprint in the direction of the field. Edward pulled me into his arms and hummed my lullaby until I unfroze and wrapped my arms securely around his waist.

"Why is this happening? Why do I always put my family in danger?"

"Hush, Bella love. It wasn't you. It was the _mutt _who put us in danger." Edward chuckled darkly. "Yes, Jacob, I do mean you"

"I thought so." I turned in time to see Jacob running out the door, a trail of bloodied bandages flying behind him like a streamer.

I sighed, superhuman healing or not, his jaw would never heal if he kept rejecting the bandages. "I suppose we should go to the fighting lesson… this time I get to join in!" I thrilled with mock excitement. My eyes tingled a bit and I knew that if I had tears, I'd be bawling my eyes out.


	13. Preparations

I play fought with Edward for a little while, until he became tired of attacking me. Emmett had a go at me a couple times, saying that he wanted to get back at me for the arm wrestling incident. After some time, I sat on a boulder and watched everyone else practice. I wouldn't need much physical training, as I'd be protecting everyone with my shield. Edward stayed with me by the rock as long as he could, until Jasper called him to demonstrate a particular move.

The wolves were positioned in a loose circle around the fighting vampires, watching their moves with intense eyes. I picked out Jacob instantly and suppressed a smile at the slight crookedness of his jaw. His quick eyes flashed in my direction and he silently rode from the ground to pad over to where I sat.

"Hey Jake." I murmured, patting his large head. He nuzzled against my hand and whined.

"Don't worry. Just keep with the plan from last time if things start to go badly. Nessie will have the bag with her with everything you'll need inside it." He looked up at me warily. I bit my lip and looked out to the field, pretending to be preoccupied with watching the mock fight.

It was a long night. The practice went on well into the morning and the sun glinted off all the vampires' skin. Nessie lay asleep in my lap, restlessly tossing and turning. I occasionally pressed her small hand to my cheek and saw images of us all facing the Volturi again, of us dead, things I wish I could wash away from her mind forever.

It was nearing 8:00 in the morning when the others showed any signs of stopping for now. Edward sprinted to my side and kissed the top of Nessie and my head.

"I have a good feeling about this, Bella. We may be able to do this if we follow through with your plan." He smiled at me, too cheery for the current situation.

"You don't have to be so optimistic for my sake. I know you better than that."

His smile quivered ever so slightly. "I don't want you to worry so much."

"I'm worried that you may not be taking this as serious as you should." He opened his mouth to protest, but I held up a hand to stop him. "She may be your sister, Edward, but she is dangerous. I can just tell with her, she will not hesitate to kill us if we get in her way. My plan probably won't even work. She's so strong and fast, maybe even faster than you." I paused, looking him in the eyes. A couple others were close by and I knew they were listening. "And even if we do somehow stop Stephanie, Connor, and Emmanuel, there is still the whole Volturi behind them. How can we possibly win? Numbers are in their favor. We may have many gifts on our side, but only a few of them would do much good in battle. They have Alec and Jane! What if I can't protect myself and the rest of you at the same time? I mean… I've never tried to shield anyone in motion!" I was going into hysterics.

Edward finally spoke up, holding my shoulders firmly. "Bella. I know you're scared. We all are scared. I am taking this as seriously as anyone, and I take a great personal offense to my sister being the one causing my family such pain." He looked down at Nessie, still sleeping in my lap. "It will be… difficult. I will not lie and tell you that we will all make it out alive. We will probably lose a number of our own. They will be missed, and honored, but our losses will not amount to the loss of the Volturi. None of them shall survive." His eyes narrowed. "I'll be sure of that."

"Here here!" Vladimir shouted from across the field.

I sighed and shifted Nessie up into my arms as I rose from the rock. "I'm going to put Nessie to bed." Edward nodded and kissed me softly.

I turned to go when Edward gasped sharply and we both whipped around.

"What Edward?" I growled.

"Alice." Edward growled back.

I zeroed in on Alice sitting in the middle of the field cross legged. She looked as though she was meditating. Edward and I walked quickly over to her and kneeled down until we were eyelevel with her. Everyone else crowded around us as well.

"Is Emmanuel giving her a vision?" Eleazar asked.

"Yes, but I can't read her mind. Emmanuel must have duplicated Stephanie's power somehow because there is a shield around Alice's mind."

"How did you know she was having a vision, then?" Eleazar pressed.

"I caught a second of it before the shield blocked me out."

"She doesn't seem to be in pain this time." I pointed out. "Could it be the shield?"

Edward shrugged. "I don't know."

The conversation took all but a couple seconds, which was all that the vision needed. Alice opened her eyes slowly and her shoulders hunched over slightly.

"They're coming tomorrow at noon." She whispered.


	14. Arrival

The atmosphere in the field went from a kind of subdued weariness to panic almost instantly. Jasper barked orders at all the frozen vampires to get back to practicing. Edward grabbed my hand and squeezed. Nessie was still asleep on my shoulder, snoring softly.

"Edward… we can't win." I felt as if my stomach was dropping into an endless pit of hopelessness and despair.

He stroked me cheek. "Don't think like that. We have a chance, right Alice?" He turned slightly to look at Alice who was now standing in the spot she had a moment ago been sitting.

She paused and then smiled. "I have a good feeling that we will win this."

"How could you possibly know that? You don't have your visions anymore!" My words came out harsher than I had meant them to.

"I just know." Alice frowned and looked out at Jasper. "I have to know it will be alright." Her voice caught and she excused herself to join the others.

We practiced for the rest of the morning. Jacob looked after Nessie when I joined in, practicing shielding moving targets. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I never quite got it down perfect. As noon crept closer, everyone slowed their movements to be more cautious, their eyes sweeping the trees periodically. At 11:50, Jasper called for us to get into defensive positions. A sense of déjà vu gripped at me again as we all stood in the same places as we had last time we had to face the Volturi, only this time we had Alice and Jasper.

Edward's fists clenched and he spoke to me through his teeth. "I can hear some of them. Stephanie is only shielding herself, Connor, and Emmanuel."

I swallowed. "Should the wolves move up to the front yet?"

Jasper nodded and then called back, "Bring the wolves forward."

Sam bounded forward, followed closely by the others, save Jacob who stayed back with Nessie. He was only to join the fight if it looked as though we needed more help.

We waited silently, well almost silently, the wolves kept growling. After a couple minutes, I could hear the soft footsteps of many vampires several yards in front of where we all stood.

"Finally, the day we have been looking forward to for decades." Vladimir exclaimed triumphantly.

"Indeed. Luck to all!" Stefan cried.

Everyone else mumbled good luck's and a few embraces and kisses from couples rippled through the group. I exchanged a few desperate looks with Edward, who stroked my cheek, and then I shoved my shield out to cover every ally in the clearing.

"Here we go." Edward murmured tensely.

Out of the gloomy trees, several cloaked figures appeared in all different heights. The faces were backed out, but more and more would emerge and slowly, several of the figures took the lead of the massive gathering. They stopped halfway between us and the trees, just as they had before. The six figures in the front all reached up to their hoods, their hands blinding white, and pulled back the fabric to reveal their identities, though I had a good idea of who they were.

Aro, Caius, and Marcus all had similar looks of sadness on their faces as they looked out at us all. Stephanie, who stood on Aro's right, shook out her short hair and had a smug smile on her lips, which disappeared immediately when she caught sight of the wolves. Connor and Emmanuel stood close to Stephanie, Connor with a look of rage, and Emmanuel looking torn.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes, looking right at Edward. "We will give you one last chance. Let us deal with the vermin here, and you will be spared."

Caius shot a bewildered look at Stephanie and then touched Aro's waiting hand angrily. Aro nodded and then whispered softly to Caius.

Edward chuckled darkly. "It is a lie."

I nodded. "I figured as much."


	15. Waiting Games

I glanced around at the other members of the guard as they dropped their hoods. There were more voices in the back of the large sea of cloaks. The Volturi had brought witnesses again. I caught Jane staring at me and her grin was menacing.

"Edward. Don't make this difficult," Stephanie began, taking a step forward. The guard all flinched slightly as she moved. "Ugh! I can't be near the front if we're going to do this…" She backed up behind Aro, Caius, and Marcus, Connor following her.

"Why ever not?" Caius questioned, turning a fraction of an inch to stare at Stephanie.

"The wolves have some kind of power… Connor and I cannot use our gifts around them."

Caius looked thoughtful for a moment. In that split second he almost looked human. The look was quickly replaced by a devious smirk. "Then they shall be the first ones to go." He turned his gaze back on the wolves.

Sam snarled ferociously.

Aro frowned. "Friends! We're only here for the wolves. What can these beasts mean to any of you anyway?" He opened his arms in a show of friendship and warmth. "Bella, Edward, Alice… I still extend my offer to join my guard. I do not wish to harm any of you"

"Yeah, well you might not want me anymore, Aro." Alice chimed.

"Dear Alice, why would I not want you to join my family?"

"Maybe because I don't have my gift anymore." Alice's eyes turned into slits.

Aro made a clicking sound with his tongue and looked disappointed. I caught both Stephanie and Connor glance quickly at Emmanuel, who still looked uncomfortable.

"Can you get a read off of any of them?" Carlisle murmured to Edward.

"Only snippets, like Stephanie is letting bits and pieces out, but in a way that I won't understand, probably just to infuriate me. I did hear something about them having a lot of time. I can only imagine that means that they don't intend to make this a quick clean up like usual. They're prepared to wait, maybe for us to make the first move."

Edward was right, of course. After that initial confrontation when they first arrived, nothing else of particular importance happened. After several hours of just standing there, some of the guard started to get fidgety. It was unusual to see vampires act on little twitches like humans, it was almost unnerving. They were even better than my family at acting as humans. As the day turned to night, the wolves began to become restless. A few of their large heads would droop slightly and then snap back up as they fought off the effects of fatigue.

My throat burned noticeably. I touched my neck and looked sideways at Edward to see him mirroring my actions with what must have been the same pained look that was on my face.

"What are we going to do about feeding?" I wondered aloud.

"Maybe we should have been as prepared as the Volturi." Edward mused, sounding almost impressed. He was staring out at the vampires only a few feet away from us in the darkness, but it did not hide them from my superior eyes.

A few of the Volturi had taken out what looked and smelled like medical blood in little pouches. Each of them was slurping the thick liquid through a straw like they were juice boxes. The burning in my throat intensified.

"Yeah… if only we had thought ahead."

It was cloudy out and a bit humid, the air seemed to stick to my hair. It wasn't until midnight that the moon showed itself at all, and it wasn't until then that the Volturi finally lost their patience.


	16. Fight

Fight

Caius snarled, blood stained his lips from the medical pouches. He touched Aro's waiting hand. A smile touched Aro's lips and he nodded.

"I suppose…" He murmured. He looked up at us again, reluctance in his bright red eyes.

"What a waste."

Edward flinched slightly at my side and slowly bent into a crouch. "Get ready."

I stared out at the Volturi, who had not moved. Stephanie still stood near the back, almost shaking, her eyes locked on Jacob. The other vampires around me mimicked Edward's pose, preparing for the battle ahead.

We all stood motionless as statues, staring each other down, hoping the other would surrender. I tested my shield, feeling it mold to each of my allies' forms.

"Enough of this!" Stephanie screamed. She took an unfamiliar stance, her arms out in front of her, the palms of her hands facing us. I half expected lighting to come out of her hands. Connor ushered Aro and the others to move. Stephanie smirked and she placed her hands firmly on the ground.

Nothing happened.

I looked at Edward, puzzled. Then I felt it. It _was_ like lightning, coursing through my body. I screamed in pain and was thrown to the ground. The pain was a thousand times worse than the burning of becoming a vampire. I twisted and contorted into what must have been gruesome forms. A small part of my mind was able to remember Edward crippled like this by Jane, thought it was fuzzy. Edward yelled in anger and tried to stop my squirming. I heard Stephanie chuckle.

I felt my shield snap back in towards me like a rubber band, leaving my family unprotected.

The wolves howled, the other vampires around me snarled. The Volturi snarled back. I continued to squirm. I had to get up. They were unprotected. I had to shield them. The wolves ran at full speed towards the Volturi, my family, aside from Edward, and the others who came to fight for us, followed behind them. The wolves collided with the Volturi in a crash like thunder.

The fight had begun.

Stephanie moved with lightning speed, keeping a good distance between her and the wolves, but her eyes always stayed on me. The pain still came in droves, and I was trying to fight it. Edward continued to whisper words of encouragement in my ear. All I could do was watch as my family fought.

Alice and Jane were running circles around other smaller battles, Alice predicting Jane's every move and dodging her deadly gaze at the last moment. Jasper took on Felix. It was an unfair match in my opinion. Emmett fought alongside Esme against Marcus. Rosalie was up against Demetri. Carlisle, of course, had Aro. The rest of the vampires on our side, along with the wolves, took on various other members of the guard. Connor ghosted next to Stephanie, tossing back each vampire or wolf that got near her. He completely engulfed Eleazar as he transformed into some kind of mist, thoroughly confusing Eleazar, before returning to his normal form and planting a hard kick on my friend's chest.

I watched with horror as my family and friends risked their lives. I screamed out in anger and sadness when the first hunk of flesh was ripped from Carmen.

Vladimir and Stephen flew together, helping Alice and Jasper to try and defeat the "witch twins". They both had wide Cheshire cat smiles on their faces, as they swept over the meadow, taking down two guard members.

Stephanie and Connor continued to dance through the fighting, getting closer to me.

I couldn't understand why Stephanie didn't just kill me. She could have so easily.

"_Because"_ A faint voice whispered in my head that sounded like Stephanie's, "_You need to watch this."_ The pain intensified and I convulsed harder on the ground as a ghostly laughter played in my head like a broken record. Edward snarled next to me.

As I writhed, I had a sudden thought. Stephanie was only affecting me, using all her concentration on me. Could she only attack one person at a time? And if she had such a powerful shield, why would she need Connor to protect her? It all pieced together rather quickly, and I yelled out to Edward, as Stephanie approached.

"EDWARD! HER SHIELD IS DOWN!" I screamed.

Edward's head snapped up just as Stephanie lunged for where we were on the ground. He leapt at her in the same moment, and they collided in the air, landing right next to where I lay. Stephanie's concentration was broken, and the pain suddenly ebbed. I jumped to my feet, at the same time Edward and Stephanie did. They paused for an eight of a second before Edward went for Stephanie's throat. Stephanie snarled ferociously and threw Edward down. Before he could get up, she sped across the field, heading straight for where the wolves were fighting. Connor followed after her, keeping his protective stance. Maybe it took her shield time to reappear once it had been down.

"NO!" I screamed. Edward looked puzzled and followed my gaze to the wolves. He gasped and stood up quickly.

It was too late. Even if Edward or I had reacted, we wouldn't have been able to save the wolves.

Despite the effect the wolves had on the Reids, they still charged head on at them. Stephanie collided with Jacob first, wrapping her slender arms around his thick neck and throwing him to the ground. Connor leapt nimbly onto Sam's back, simultaneously sinking his teeth into the wolf's neck and bringing him to the ground as well.

I stood there in shock. Jacob and Sam were invisible to me as other wolves and vampires blocked them. I had no idea of their fate. Moments later, Stephanie emerged from the crowd, her shirt blood stained and ripped with a huge smeared bloody paw print plastered on her leg. My eyes widened and I looked back to where Jacob had been. Jacob lay on the ground, naked and in human form. He wasn't moving.

My eyes burned from dry tears and the strongest anger I had ever felt bubbled up inside my chest. My anger felt like a physical thing, getting ready to erupt from my body. A white sphere surrounded me, creating an unnatural wind to make my hair rise up and whip around wildly. The new power surged upward from my feet, making its way up to my head.

All the fighting ceased, as what vampires were still standing watched me. Stephanie's eyes went wide for a moment as she watched me, and then smirked.

My vision went completely red then, and I had a feeling I knew what was happening, so I shoved my hands out in front of me as Stephanie had done, palms out towards her. I felt a surge of energy push out of my hands into something that become an extension of my arms. I grabbed hold of Stephanie with this new found energy and she fell to the ground screaming just as I had.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" I screamed. The power in my body increased and I knew her pain was accelerated as well.

I walked closer to where Stephanie cringed on the ground. Everyone was still watching me. I kneeled in front of Stephanie until we were face to face.

"Enough of this." I hissed, repeating her own words.

"Go on, kill me." She managed to say through gasps.

I grabbed her neck with one hand and squeezed gently. She grasped at my hand and began to look nervous.

"I'm not like you." I growled and threw her back, releasing her from the strange new power I seemed to have acquired.

"Leave now. All of you go!" I glared at each of the Volturi guard.

Aro smiled solemnly and nodded, holding his arms out in truce as he backed away slowly, followed by the rest of the Volturi. Stephanie got up quickly, glaring at me, and only followed after the Volturi because Connor forced her.

Emmanuel, who had been out of the fight completely, stood on the outskirts of the field where the trees met the opening, looking back and forth from where Jacob still lay motionless and Alice. He sighed and bowed his head. I heard Alice gasp.

"I can see!" She cried.

I nodded at Emmanuel, who was watching me now. He smiled softly and turned to follow his parents.


	17. Jacob

Jacob

Everyone around me let out sighs of relief and hugged, congratulating each other on defeating the Volturi.

Edward and I ran right to where Jacob still lay, surrounded by wolves and shirtless boys. I couldn't hear his heart.

"Carlisle!" Edward thundered.

Carlisle was at Jacob's side in an instant, looking worried.

"Everyone back up, please. Bella and Edward, I'm going to have to crack his chest, you both need to take the other vampires and get back." He was in full doctor mode, sounding businesslike as he gave us orders.

"Quil, I need you to run to my house and get my tool bag and packets of blood, bring Alice with you, she knows the combination to the safe with the blood." He spoke to Quil, who was one of the only wolves in human form.

Quil nodded and sped off.

Edward and I hadn't left yet. I was frozen. Jacob couldn't die.

Carlisle was doing chest compressions on Jacob and blowing air into his mouth. Each time, his chest rose and fell mechanically. My eyes stung like I was going to cry.

"Come on Bella, you shouldn't see this." Edward said softly, pulling on my arm.

I looked for a long moment at Jacob's lifeless form and then nodded, allowing Edward to tow me away. We rounded up the other vampires just as Quil and Alice were running back, bags of blood and tools in their arms.

We all stood far enough away so that the blood would not bother us, but not so far that I didn't hear Jacob's sternum crack as Carlisle worked over him. Someone suggested we go back to the house. I refused, wanting to be as close to Jacob as possible, in case he didn't make it.

After a few hours, groups of vampires broke off to go hunt or go to the house. Edward and Alice stayed with me in the trees. I held Renesmee close. She touched my cheek and Jacob's face swam in front of my eyes.

"I don't know, Nessie." I murmured.

A single tear ran down her pink cheek and I hugged her even closer. Edward wrapped his arms around us and we waited like that for hours.

Carlisle didn't come to where we waited until dawn. His shirt was blood stained and he had a grave look on his face.

I shook with both grief and anger.

"Calm down Bella." Edward whispered.

"How can I calm down!? Jacob is dead isn't he!?" I yelled, waking Nessie up accidentally.

"No, Bella. Jacob is alive, but barely. He is being taken back to the reservation to rest. I've done all I can. I'm not sure if he'll survive, but there is a chance." Carlisle said quietly.

"He's alive?" I choked.

"Yes, but you cannot see him for a while. He's not conscious."

My body flooded with hope. Jake was a survivor, he could live through this. I knew he could. I looked up at Edward's face and smiled. He smiled his crooked smile back.

Nessie touched my neck and I nodded to her.

"Everything will be alright, sweetie."

She smiled a toothy grin and laughed.

I adjusted my grip on Nessie, and took Edward's hand. With Alice and Carlisle talking quietly behind us, we made our way back up to the house.


	18. Family

Family

Time passed. Jacob regained his health swiftly, and again Carlisle marveled at his ability to heal so quickly. Jacob did not heal as fast as he had before. Stephanie had done quite the number on him. He suffered from the unavoidable broken bones, but his heart and lungs had been punctured. How he survived, was nothing short of a miracle.

Jacob lounged on a chair back in the Cullen's house, a large bowl of food in his lap. Seth and Leah lingered near him in human form. Edward, Carlisle and I sat close together on the couch, talking quietly.

"Bella, how were you able to mutate your gift?" Carlisle asked seriously.

I looked at Edward for a moment, then back at Carlisle and shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. I just became so angry when I saw Jacob hurt, I couldn't really help myself."

"What was it like?" Emmett asked from across the room, obviously eavesdropping.

I turned slighting to face him and smiled. "It was incredible. It felt like a whole other me had taken over my body or something…" I trailed off. The raw power, truthfully, was a bit unnerving now that I thought about it. To know I had that kind of destructive force in me, that I could _kill_ people with it. I wanted to kill Stephanie, and I knew I could. I guess knowing that I have the restraint was good enough.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Well?"

I laughed. "It's really hard to explain. Imagine ghostly arms extending from your own, and being able to use them like normal arms, but they cause extreme pain to anyone they touch. That's what it's like, I guess."

"Fascinating." Carlisle mused, looking deep in thought. "Could this be how Stephanie and Connor are able to have two gifts? They mutated the one they had to become another."

"Carlisle, I'm not sure it would work that way. Bella is a mental shield, and she morphed it to be able to shield physical attacks. Stephanie is a shield, yes, but she can read minds, not exactly in the same category. And Connor is a tracker, but also able to shape shift." Edward commented quickly.

Carlisle was nodding. "Not so far off, son. Stephanie can shield mental attacks, like Bella, so, naturally, she is in tune with the mind. Is it so hard to believe she manipulated that part to be able to read them? And Connor, always tracking, knowing every iota of detail about the thing he is looking for, could it then be so hard to think that he could have changed that to allow him to become the very thing he was tracking?"

Edward thought for a moment, and then froze. "Well, we could keep speculating, or we could ask them ourselves. They're about 100 yards away. They want to talk."

Everyone stood up at once.

"Should the wolves…" I didn't finish my sentence.

"We're not going anywhere, Bells." Jacob cut me off.

I nodded, my lips pressed together in a hard line.

Edward wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me gently.

"Rose keep Nessie back." Edward ordered. I didn't look back to see if Rose complied, but I knew she would.

We all waited a few moments. I could hear them running. Three sets of feet racing up the path to the house. They were on the porch quickly. There was a slight hesitation, before one of them knocked quietly on the door.

I flinched slightly, and my hands balled into fists. A hint of the power I had felt in the field flared up inside me again, and I knew I could throw them out if they tried to start anything. Edward looked down at me, but said nothing. Smart man.

Carlisle walked to the door with exaggerated slowness. He opened the door, no kindness anywhere on his face.

"Hello." He said flatly.

Connor answered first. "Carlisle, we want to talk. May we come in?"

Without a word, Carlisle stepped aside, and the three vampires walked cautiously into the great front room.

They all wore looks of great sorrow, and regret, all of them looking at the floor as they walked. They paused a few feet in front of where Edward and I stood, and then looked up.

My anger flared more ferociously as I looked at Stephanie's face. All I could remember was her arrogant grin, even though now she was expressionless.

"I…" She began, taking a half step forward, and opening her arms.

"Get back!" I snarled, taking two full steps towards her.

She didn't move. "Bella, I understand your anger, but please, let me apologize." She spoke calmly, like a parent trying to reason with an unruly child.

Edward put his hand on my shoulder, and brought me back to stand beside him. I crossed my arms and waited. She nodded once, and sighed.

"My behavior was… unacceptable, to say the least. You all came to us in your time of need, and I betrayed you all over a stupid grudge. I am a shameful creature for ruining the relationship we had. We are family, not only by both being vampires, and following the same diet as one another, but by blood. Well, blood that we once had, but that is beside the point. I know what I did was wrong. And I say I, not us, because it was solely my fault. I convinced Connor to follow. I told Emm to take Alice's sight, for fear of you finding out. It was all me, and I take full responsibility. I am truly sorry for what has been done here, and I hope that one day, our family can be together, as one." She looked at me, gravely.

"You know the wolves are included in _our_ family. You would have to fully accept them too." I hissed.

Stephanie turned her head and looked at Jacob thoughtfully. Jacob made a face at her, and she grimaced ever so slightly, before turning back to look at me.

"Maybe that day will take a bit more time to come than I would like." She murmured.

Jacob barked a laugh, and I couldn't help holding back the smile that stretched across my lips from hearing it.

Edward took a step forward and placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder. She looked up at him, and again I was shocked at just how much they looked alike.

"Stephanie, you are my sister, I cannot deny that. But what you have done has devastated the lives of my family, and those of our friends. I know we will forgive you one day, but for now, please leave in peace." He nodded to Connor and Emmanuel to include them as well.

Stephanie and Connor bowed their heads and began to back away to leave. Emmanuel stayed where he stood, though.

"Emm, come along." Connor said quietly.

"Dad… I want to stay here." He said just as quietly, looking over at Nessie and smiling. Nessie turned her face into Rose's hair and tried to hide her returning smile and blush. Jacob growled under his breath, noticing the exchange.

"That is not a choice for you to make, son." Connor refuted.

"If Emmanuel wishes to stay with us, he is more than welcome." Carlisle exclaimed, making Stephanie and Connor stop in their tracks and look up.

"Emm… are you sure?" Stephanie asked.

"I am, if you would allow it." He looked sheepishly down at his feet.

"If that is what you want son." She whispered, gliding back to where Emmanuel stood, embracing him tightly. Connor joined them, wrapping his arms around both of them.

"I want updates. Often." Stephanie demanded, letting Emmanuel go, and taking Connor's hand.

"I will, mom." He said, smiling.

"Behave yourself." She reminded him, as both Stephanie and Connor walked out the door.

"Okay mom!" Emmanuel rolled his eyes, like a normal teen annoyed with his over protective mother.

"Goodbye sweetie, we love you." Was the last thing Stephanie said before Carlisle closed the door behind them.

It was silent for a full minute before anyone breathed.

"They are gone." Alice announced.

Everyone relaxed and I smiled at Edward. He glowed back down at me.

"Aunt Bella, Uncle Edward… could you forgive me?" Emmanuel asked awkwardly, looking down at the floor again, his shoulders hunched up.

"Emmanuel, there is nothing to forgive." I murmured, before embracing him as his mother had, Edward following me, along with the rest of my family.

The End.


End file.
